The National Cancer Institute identified tissue preservation as perhaps the number one roadblock in cancer genomics and numerous other areas.

But preservation doesn’t affect just cancer.

Every day a massive amount of human tissue is discarded because it cannot be used in a timely way. Yet simultaneously it is routine for researchers to plan entire studies around the limited availability of quality tissue samples. This tissue shortage constrains experimental design which threatens data quality, adds waste and adds cost to research.

Tissue preservation also bottlenecks bioengineering, according to over a dozen US federal science agencies. Without a shelf-life, bioengineered tissues have constrained uses; with a shelf life, on-demand uses, inventories, worldwide distribution become possible.